The Manc Lion's Pride
by GeneHuntress
Summary: Written for the OMG Challenge - Gene has to live with his regrets.
1. Chapter 1

Written for the OMG Challenge - not my usual style, but it arrived almost fully formed in the middle of the night demanding to be written, so what could I do? Not sure I can leave it like this, so there may be a Ch.2 at some point, depending on reviews ...

The Manc Lion's Pride

He gazed at her through the open door, his brows furrowed, blowing a column of smoke slowly from the corner of his mouth.

She was on the phone to Him again, he could tell by her soft expression and flirtatious body language, even though she knew He couldn't see her. As he watched, she sat back and he heard her giggle, fiddling with a pen as she whispered something low and husky into the receiver.

The jealously coiled itself tighter in the pit of his stomach as he poured himself another large measure of Scotch, knowing he only had himself to blame. He'd had his chances, she'd offered herself to him on more than one occasion and he'd turned her down, even though it nearly killed him to do so. He'd told himself he was being a gentleman, but really he knew it was his stubborn pride. He needed to know she really wanted him, wanted more than just a drunken one night stand, even though instinctively he knew it was far more than that. And he also knew neither of them would ever have had the courage to make the first move sober.

So that was that, he'd squandered his opportunity and all he could do was watch as she flirted with Him, led Him upstairs to her flat and they became an item. Night after night in Luigi's, gazing into each others eyes before vanishing upstairs, and he drowned himself in whiskey imagining the two of them entwined in her bed.

She had the phone balanced in the crook of her neck now as she scribbled something down on a pad, and his eyes raked over her stunning features, down the lines of her elegant neck and lingered over her full bosom. His breath caught in his throat, convinced she was the most beautiful thing he'd ever seen. Bloody feisty with it. And sharp as a tack, of course. He admired the way she stood up to him, challenged him, even though he'd die before he admitted it to her.

And in that single moment it hit him like a ton of bricks, that thing he'd been trying to deny to himself for so long. He was completely, utterly and hopelessly in love with Alex Drake, and he could never tell her. It was too late.

The huge solitaire diamond on her left hand caught the light as Gene's lonely heart shattered into a thousand pieces …


	2. Chapter 2

The next installment. Because I'm a hopeless romantic, and I couldn't leave it like that ...

Chapter 2

He was a man, but even he could see something was wrong. She was sitting with her cheek resting on her hand, shoulders slumped, staring at a fixed point on the floor and doodling idly on a pad.

As he watched, a tear trickled slowly down her cheek before she stabbed the pen into the pad several times and dashed out, presumably heading for the Ladies. Nobody else seemed to have noticed and he wondered if he should discreetly ask Shaz to go after her, but thought better of it. She probably needed to be alone.

Under the pretext of dropping a report into her in-tray, he glanced down at the pad on her desk. Broken hearts, bleeding hearts, hearts with daggers through them. He might be a man, but even he could guess what was going on here.

She hadn't been to Luigi's all week but suddenly here she was, making her way across to join him at "their" table as though she'd never been away, slipping in quietly next to him without meeting his eyes. He said nothing, just poured a large glass of house rubbish and pushed it towards her, watching intently as she took a large gulp and replaced it on the table.

She seemed tense, sitting awkwardly with her hands on her thighs, and his heart leapt as he saw it clearly then, the distinct lack of a ring.

He placed his long elegant fingers over hers, squeezing gently, and was rewarded with a watery smile. The jealously in the pit of his stomach receded and was replaced by a different feeling all together. He thought it might just be hope.


	3. Chapter 3

Couldn't resist doing a final chapter, so here we go.

Chapter 3

She was almost back to her old self now, he would only occasionally catch her with that lost expression, her gaze fixed on the floor as she fidgeted with a pen. His eyes raked over her longingly as she moved round her desk to talk to Shaz, and he gazed hungrily at her curvaceous backside as she leant over to make a point. He didn't think he could wait much longer, he would have to show her how he felt regardless of the consequences.

That night they were sat at the bar together in Luigi's, halfway down the second bottle of red. He could tell she wasn't drunk just nicely mellow, and she'd been teasing him and flirting with him all night. Her legs were between his and the friction of her knee rubbing against his thigh was creating some heat in his groin. She fell silent for a moment, gazing from his eyes to his mouth and back again and he decided it was now or never, leaning in to press his lips gently to hers.

He held his breath as she stared at him, her mouth dropping open in surprise. And then suddenly she was off the stool and in his arms, kissing him like a thirsty man denied water for way too long. Somewhere in the distance he was vaguely aware of clapping and cheering, but all his senses were focussed on her. He could feel her fingers threading through his hair, her breasts rubbing against his chest while he slid his hands up and down her back. Her heady perfume filled his nostrils and he could hear her little sighs as his tongue explored her mouth slowly, tasting, teasing.

When they eventually broke apart she looked up at him with heavy-lidded eyes, offering her hand. He took it without hesitation, knowing her must have a stupid grin on his face as he followed her upstairs, but not really caring …

The End

Hope you enjoyed it. :)


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